Apple Tests 'Ask,' AI Tool Resembling ChatGPT, for Enhanced Support Services

According to Macrumors, Apple is experimenting with 'Ask,' an AI tool pilot program for enhanced support services, akin to ChatGPT, to be utilized by select AppleCare advisors.

'Ask' mines Apple's internal knowledge base for responses, advisors rating them as 'helpful' or 'unhelpful,' promoting its use over traditional search methods, especially for intricate issues.

Post-feedback phase, Apple aims to expand 'Ask' to more advisors, aligning with its broader generative AI integration strategy expected in iOS 18.

CEO Tim Cook's emphasis on AI, notably during earnings calls, signals Apple's pivot towards AI-driven growth, previously disclosed in August 2023.

The debut of 'Ask' reinforces Apple's AI commitment, echoing Cook's vision of investing in transformative technologies for tomorrow.

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by Asim BN via Digital Information World

Google and Reddit Strike a Deal Over AI Content

Reddit's visibility on Google Search has seen a big increase lately. It turns out, Google is the big AI company that has made a deal with Reddit for using its content, as reported by Reuters.

This deal has caught the attention of many, especially since Reddit has started showing up more in Google's search results, even beating the original sources of content in some cases. People are wondering if Reddit's boosted presence on Google Search is because of this content licensing deal. Another thought is that maybe Google is trying to make up for the fact that many searchers have been adding "reddit" to their search queries to find discussions and opinions.

According to Reuters, Google is paying Reddit $60 million a year to use its content to train Google's AI models, like Gemini. This deal was signed as Reddit is getting ready to go public with an initial public offering (IPO).

Back in February, it was first hinted that Reddit had made a deal with a large AI company. And by last April, Reddit expressed its desire to make AI companies pay for using its vast amount of content. Steve Huffman, the CEO of Reddit, emphasized the value of Reddit's content and stated that they shouldn't give it away for free to some of the world's biggest companies.

Following this deal, there's been a noticeable increase in Reddit's rankings on Google. Glenn Gabe, an SEO consultant, highlighted in a post on X that the number of Reddit URLs ranking on Google shot up from 22 million to 41.1 million, based on data from Semrush. This is a significant rise, indicating not just improved rankings but also an increase in the number of pages that are showing up in search results.

22M to 41.1M urls -> OK, so Google has a deal with Reddit to train its AI on Reddit content. We also know that the "hidden gems" piece rolled out in the fall of 2023 and Reddit (and other forums) surged. But with the deal, does Google have a firehose from Reddit? i.e. Is Reddit… pic.twitter.com/24uVJydTQb

— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) February 22, 2024

This partnership between Google and Reddit is a big deal in the tech and SEO communities. It raises questions about the dynamics of content visibility on search engines and how deals like this could influence what information gets priority in search results.

Image: DIW

Read next: Google Stops Gemini's AI Image Creation Tool Due to Wrong Images
by Mahrukh Shahid via Digital Information World

Google Stops Gemini's AI Image Creation Tool Due to Wrong Images

Google's Gemini, an AI-powered tool, is not working right now, because it made some mistakes with pictures.

People on social media said Gemini showed wrong images of historical figures, like making the founding fathers look like people of color.

Google shared a post on X claiming that they are trying to fix these issues quickly. They explained that Gemini tries to show a mix of people in its images because users from around the world use it. But Google admitted that Gemini did not do a good job with historical images.

Critics of Gemini's image generation have accused the tool of being overly influenced by modern sensibilities around diversity and inclusivity, to the point of altering historical facts.

Some people commenting on Google's post said Gemini was "too woke." They think Gemini is making too many changes to be politically correct, especially about race. Gemini started in December 2023, and its image-making tool was introduced in February 2024. It works by responding to users' requests, similar to how ChatGPT works, using Google's own information.

Following the controversy, Google has temporarily paused the use of Gemini's image generation feature. The company has promised to address the issues raised and to release an improved version of the tool in the near future.

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by Mahrukh Shahid via Digital Information World

Apple Warns Against Rice-Drying Method for Wet iPhones

Smartphone giant, Apple cautions against the age-old remedy of rice-drying for wet iPhones. Despite its popularity, experts have long frowned upon this method, suggesting its inefficacy. Now, the tech behemoth itself steps in, warning users about potential rice particles wreaking havoc on their devices.

The company advocates for a different approach i.e. gently tapping out any liquid, ensuring the phone's connector faces downward, followed by allowing it to air-dry. Despite smartphones' advancing tech, the go-to fixes for water mishaps remain rather primitive.

Apple seizes the moment to steer users clear of other questionable methods. Alongside rice, it advises against heat sources or compressed air, meaning no hairdryers or radiator rendezvous. Moreover, inserting foreign objects like cotton swabs or paper towels is a no-go.

• Also read: Emojis' Meanings Differ Across Cultures, Ages, and Genders, Impacting Online Communication Dynamics

Instead, the guidance suggests leaving the phone in a dry, airy spot before reconnecting it to a charger. As pointed out by Michael Simon, the evolving smartphone designs may render such advice obsolete in the future, with devices becoming more water-resistant.

Recent models like the iPhone 12 onward boast immersion resilience up to six meters deep for half an hour. Yet, as the global second-hand mobile market burgeons amid rising living costs, many may still seek advice on handling a waterlogged smartphone.

Image: Digital Information World - AIgen

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by Asim BN via Digital Information World

Emojis' Meanings Differ Across Cultures, Ages, and Genders, Impacting Online Communication Dynamics

Emojis are a great way to share your emotions in a text. But a new study found out that the interpretation of emojis can be different for everyone on the basis of their location, culture, gender and age. Research from Nottingham gathered 523 people from China and the United Kingdom to see how these people interpret different emojis. 51% of these people were women while 49% were men, between the ages of 18 and 84. The study provided 6 different emojis from Apple, Windows, Android and WeChat to these participants and asked them to match these emojis to particular emotions.

The results of this study showed that older people couldn’t match the emojis with their respective emotions of surprise, fear, anger and sadness. Women matched the emojis of surprise, anger, fear and sadness more accurately than men. Moreover, participants from the United Kingdom guessed the emojis more accurately than Chinese participants, except for one emoji showing disgust. The researchers of this study admitted that there are many limitations to this study because only six emojis cannot tell how people interpret all the emojis.

The purpose of this study is to know the importance of emojis in context as sometimes they cannot convey the actual meaning in conversation. This research suggests that more study should be done to know how people interpret and use different emojis.

The lead author of this study, Dr. Hannah Howman, says that emojis are important in online communication because they help us understand non-verbal cues. But we still do not know how individuals perceive emojis. The results of this study says that interpretation of emojis is greatly based on cultures, age and gender. This research is going to be a great source of understanding the use and importance of emoji in online communication.

Image: Anne-Lise Paris, (www.in-graphidi.com), PLOS, CC-BY 4.0

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

CounterPoint Research Predicts 43% Annual Growth for IoT eSIM Connections, Reaching 2.2 Billion by 2030

According to a new report published by CounterPoint Research, eSIM connections of IoT (Internet of Things) are going to grow at a 43% annual growth rate. It is expected that they are going to reach 2.2 by 2030 if they continue growing at this pace. We will see about one third of IoT connections to be on eSIM or iSIM. Mohit Agrawal who is an associate director commented on connections of eSIM and said that due to restrictions of M2M eSIM, we thought that connections of eSIM or IoT are going to fail in keeping up with consumer space. This is the reason why there were only 200 million eSIM connections in IoT at the end of 2023 even though eSIM was doing well in the product market.

He further added that China is the biggest market of IoT but has low single digit SIM penetration because of all the restrictions it was facing a few years back. There were also alot of LPWA devices which didn’t need eSIM. Due to all this, China has the least usage of eSIM despite being the biggest market for it. But as China is the largest eSIM hub, it makes the eSIM penetration of the whole world to less than 10%.

Senior Research Analyst, Ankit Malhotra, also shared his thoughts on eSIM and says that GSMA standards for IoT connected eSIM is going to bring eSIM to devices that do not support it right now. This will help a lot in the growth in eSIM and then after a while, eSIM. The people who are dealing with eSIM know a lot about new eSIM standards and the growth of eSIM will speed up after GSMA will release test specifications this year. Right now, all the users of eSIM are automotive and the connectivity providers of many enterprises are not willing to change.

Read next: How Are Digital Devices and Technology Really Impacting Our Minds?
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google Introduces New AI Tool for Businesses

Google has launched a new tool called Gemini for Workspace. This tool uses Google's advanced Gemini Ultra 1.0 technology to help businesses do more with apps like Docs and Meet. It also comes with strong protections for company data. Starting today, businesses can choose from two different price plans to use Gemini for Workspace.

Gemini for Workspace is an update and new name for what used to be called Duet AI for Workspace. This change aims to highlight the Gemini name more. Before, the service helped with tasks like writing in Workspace apps. Now, it also offers a separate Gemini chatbot for users to get more work done quickly and safely.

Google's new tool is a way to compete with Microsoft, which has a similar service called Copilot for businesses. Google's Aparna Pappu, who leads the Workspace team, shared that customers can add Gemini to their Workspace apps. There are two options for adding Gemini: one for small businesses and a bigger plan for larger companies with more needs.

Using Gemini, people can write better in Docs and Gmail, use smart features in Sheets, and create images in Slides. These features are also available to personal users through Google One AI Premium Plan. Many small businesses already use Google Workspace, and a survey showed 88% of them are interested in using AI for tasks like data analysis and writing emails. The new Gemini Business add-on is designed to help these businesses be more efficient.

The bigger Enterprise plan offers more access to Gemini, including advanced AI for meetings that can translate captions in many languages and later, take notes during meetings.

Both the small business and enterprise plans come with a special chat feature. This lets users ask Gemini for advice and ideas, like finding topics for marketing emails or writing better content. The service promises to keep business data safe and private.

Google has set the price for the small business plan at $20 per user each month, and the enterprise plan at $30 per user each month. This pricing might make Google's tool more attractive to small businesses compared to Microsoft's Copilot, which costs $30 per user each month for its main plan. Microsoft also has a $20 plan, but it doesn't offer the same level of data protection.

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by Mahrukh Shahid via Digital Information World